Silver Falls is a truly unique hike

As a native Oregonian, I am kind of embarrassed to admit that I'd never been to Silver Falls State Park before this visit. Literally hundreds of times, I've sped on by the highway exit signs for Silver Falls, each time thinking that I need to check it out one of these days.

The problem is that whenever I was rocketing past the exit, I was always rushing to or from somewhere else. So, to put an end to this madness, I decided it was time to make Silver Falls the actual destination - and you should, too.

The entire "Trail of Ten Falls" loop is about seven miles. I say "about" because conflicting sources can't seem to reach consensus, but everyone agrees on the abundance and beauty of the falls. We took the "full 10" route, but there are shortcuts that trim off a few falls for hikes of 5.1, 2.8, and 1.6 miles or even shorter distances.

I recommend taking the trail clockwise from South Falls because you begin to see multiple falls immediately. South Falls is the highest on Silver Creek and the most visited. If you only stop for a quick stroll and glimpse, this is the one to see. From there, the trail follows the creek and you hit one set of falls after another.

If you take the trail counterclockwise, it's a long way to North Falls; and the stream is not even visible most of the time. You can start at North Falls; but then, it's a long way to the next attraction.

The beauty of the park is such that, in 1926, the area was proposed as a national park, but the idea was vetoed because heavy logging had left much of the surrounding area badly cutover and riddled with ugly stumps. Still, in 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt placed the area in a special reclamation status as a Recreational Demonstration Area and put the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) to work developing park facilities.

The most unique feature of the Trail of Ten Falls is that it makes multiple stream crossings without bridges, but you never get wet. That's because the trail passes under the creek - not through tunnels, but behind the waterfalls.

In ancient geological times, soft layers of sandstone in the area were overlain by much harder lava flows of basalt. The force of the falling waters eroded away some of the softer layers below the top layers of basalt, creating the cavities behind the falls. The CCC further widened some of the resulting openings to make them safe for public trails.

The state park was established in 1933, and 6,000 acres were added in 1949 when the federal government turned the reclaimed federal land over to the state. Through various other acquisitions, the park has grown to over 9,000 acres and is Oregon's largest state park.

The area here is classified as a temperate rain forest, and the vegetation is truly astounding. One visitor from Arizona was heard to remark, "Everything here in Oregon is so...so...GREEN!" Douglas fir, western hemlock, and western red cedar have the most commanding presence; but the unimaginatively named big leaf maple is prominent as well.

We also observed great thickets of vine maple, together with Pacific yew, alder, cascara, and hazelnut. Moss, wildflowers, salal, Oregon grape, sword ferns, bracken ferns, maidenhair ferns, and thimble, elder, salmon, and huckleberries make sure that no spot of ground is left bare.

The park also echoes with my favorite sound of the westside forests - the call of the seldom seen, but often heard, Swainson's thrush. Another avian highlight that we did spot was the colorful western tanager.

A curious phenomenon seemed to occur about two miles into the hike when the creek suddenly appeared to change and flow in the opposite direction. A quick consult with the map revealed that the trail had bypassed the confluence of the north and south forks of Silver Creek. Whereas before we were hiking downstream on the south fork, we were now headed upstream on the north fork.

The Canyon Trail, which comprises the waterside portion of the Trail of Ten Falls, is wide and smooth; but some very steep (and lengthy) rock steps occur in a few spots, most notably at Lower South Falls and North Falls. When you reach and pass behind North Falls, the sound is like that of a freight train.

At that point, the hiker will have logged about 4.5 miles; and, after climbing the steps to the canyon rim, most will be wondering how much farther there is to go. The answer: about 2.5 more miles. The Rim Trail portion is a mostly flat direct shot back to the South Falls parking lot. Pets, horses, and bicycles are not permitted in the canyon, but pets and bicycles are allowed along the Rim Trail.

This trail is above and away from the creek, so there is less to see; but there are some spectacular, mammoth old trees in this part of the park that escaped the logging of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

The easiest route to Silver Falls is to follow Highways 20 and 22 west out of Sisters toward Salem for 94 miles and take exit 13 through Sublimity for four miles, then turn right onto OR-214 for about eight miles. (If you follow the Silver Falls exit sign farther west on Highway 22, at exit 7, you will add about 12 unnecessary miles.)